Reason # 78: January 6, 2021, Day of Infamy
Why do we need to defeat Donald Trump and ensure that a Democrat occupies the White House?
January 6th was the critical day for the conspiracy to overthrow American democracy and install Donald Trump illegally in the Presidency.
Trump had tweeted a day earlier.
“The Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2021
And falsely asserted that he and Pence
“are in total agreement that the Vice President has the power to act.”
https://www.npr.org/2020/12/22/949134479/congress-role-in-election-results-heres-what-happens-jan-6
This was a falsehood. Earlier in the day Pence had made his decision public.
“My oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not,” Pence writes.
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 6, 2021
A complete videotape of the joint session can be viewed at
A transcript of the proceedings can be accessed here.
Nancy Pelosi gaveled the joint session into order at 1:05 PM. The Republican conspiracy had met a major snag, as Mike Pence, the president of the Senate, had earlier in the day announced that he did not have the right to send true and false electors back to their home states for adjudication or to make an independent judgement to accept false electors. Accordingly, he would fulfill his Constitutional obligation and proceed to count and certify the electoral votes cast by certified voters and signed by state governors.
The roll of states was called. Two mahogany boxes containing the electoral votes, certified by state governors were brought in. No competing votes had been filed.
The votes for Trump from the states of Alabama and Alaska were called and there were no objections. (He had won in both states.) When the vote from Arizona was called for Biden and Harris, however, Paul Gosar, from Arizona, rose to object and stated that 60 Republican congressman and a Republican Senator (Ted Cruz) agreed that because “they were not regularly given” Arizona’s vote should not be certified. There was loud applause from Republicans. Based on the objection, members would move separately to the Senate and House chambers for two hours of debate, before returning to the joint session to resume the vote counting.
With the House in session, Pelosi continued to allow alternating five-minute speeches to support or oppose objections to count votes.
Steve Scalise then rose to raise an objection to votes in several other states.
Pence’s failure to follow Trump’s order to reject state electors had been anticipated; it was time to put pressure on Pence and other legislators.
Outside the U.S. Capitol a large mob of demonstrators had gone into action at 12:43 PM, attacking capitol policemen and a second mob, following a harangue by President Trump, was streaming toward the Capitol. Earlier in the day, Trump had tried to get metal detectors removed. This order that would have allowed armed protestors was fortunately ignored.
1:30 PM The mob had violently broken through barriers and overwhelmed police lines.
2 PM: The mob broke windows, climbed through and opened the doors to the U.S. Capitol.
Meanwhile, President Trump, rather than manfully walking to the Capitol with his mob, retreated to a private dining room in the White House, watching the insurrection on television and texting.
2:20 PM: Secret Service agents escorted Pence and Pelosi to safety, based upon clear threats to their lives by the mob. The House and Senate proceedings were shut down.
The conspiracy had accomplished one of its goals. It had stopped the Certification of the electoral votes for Joseph Biden.
2:24 PM Trump texted
“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.”
2:38 PM The House of Representatives were evacuated to safety.
3 PM Rioters invaded the Senate chamber. Others broke into the offices of Senators and Representatives, including that of Nancy Pelosi.
3:36 PM Only now was the National Guard called in.
6PM The U.S. Capitol was finally cleared of rioters.
6:01 PM Trump tweeted again
“These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!”
8 PM: The Senate reassembled.
Mike Pence “Today was a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol. … Let’s get back to work.”
Mitch McConnell “The United States Senate will not be intimidated,” “We will not be kept out of this chamber by thugs, mobs or threats.”
Republicans resumed protest of votes in seven states.
9 PM: Nancy Pelosi reconvenes the House of Representatives.
“We always knew this would take well into the night, and we will stay as long as it takes. Our purpose will be accomplished,”
11:32 PM The House and Senate reconvened in joint session. The objections were denied and the vote certification resumed.
3:47 AM January 7, 2021
“The announcement of the state of the vote by the president of the Senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected president and vice president of the United States,”
Joseph Biden’s election as President of the United States was Certified by Mike Pence.
The terrible day was over. The attempt to overthrow the democratic election of the president of the United States by a conspiracy led by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, with the collusion of hundreds of other Republican officials, officeholders, staffers, lawyers and a violent mob of white nationalist Proud Boys and QANON supporters had been defeated.
Have a heart; use your mind, search your conscience, and vote for Democratic candidates – across the ballot – on November. 5th.
It is inconceivable that any decent person would vote for the author of this atrocity!
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Why have I committed to posting 100 Reasons NOT to vote for Donald Trump? Because I do not have time to post 10,000.
Fred Grannis
October 5, 2024